This biennial is a widely scattered noxious weed from Europe, but it has not been recorded as a wild plant in Ky. since 1970 (M). The first report was by Short (1828-2): "This plant, originally exotic, has been gradually dispersed over the greater part of the Union. Common in pastures and waste grounds." In 1914, Gm noted: "most often seen growing locally along roadsides and railroads... [and] occasionally gets...a foothold in neglected pasture land..." It is toxic to livestock and may have been associated with rough sheep pasture, which landuse declined after 1940. Also, spread of Festuca arundinacea may have suppressed this weed. The species does continue to exist in Ky as a cultivated ornamental, and there is interest in its medicinal applications (Joshi 2016).